Given the success of South Korean TV series (including Squid Game and Hellbound) and a slew of international accolades for Korean-language movies (Minari, Parasite), we can only assume that global audiences have heeded director Bong Joon-ho’s advice: ‘Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films’.
Korean pop culture is no different from American, British, Italian or Spanish themes. There are stories of dysfunctional families, crime bosses, war veterans, selfless and selfish people as well as a range of monsters. Often, the films with universal appeal are those that bend genres or launch lengthy discussions.
Here are some recommendations, drawn from SBS On Demand’s new collection of Korean films, which celebrates the variety and talent of Korean filmmakers.
Parasite
It’s been almost 2 years since this movie was released and it remains etched in our memory because of how layered and unexpected it was. On the surface, it is a critique of modern-day society and the wealth gap in South Korea. The two families, the Kims and the Parks, epitomise the haves and the have-nots. The Kims, tired of living hand to mouth, manipulate their way into the Parks’ wealthy lives and homes with a mix of cunning tricks and good timing. They almost succeed but find themselves up against the Parks’ long-term housekeeper who has her own reason to stay on at the residence.
Dig a bit deeper and it is also a movie about unlikeable characters who may or may not get their redemption arc. There is no backstory to explain their origin story, no side plots excuse their lies and prejudices. In director Bong Joon-ho’s words, ‘’.
Bong picked up 3 Oscars awards for the movie in 2020, including Best Picture. Even if you saw it during its festival run and are aware of the plot twist, it’s worth a second watch as you will pick up on nuances you missed the first time.
Parasite is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Train To Busan
In year 2021, watching a movie about a virus, quarantine, death and sacrifice seems like self-inflicted agony. Do we really want to watch a movie about survival in a health crisis featuring the undead?
The answer is yes, because although it features zombies, it is really a movie about humans and humanity persevering. Gong Yoo (aka the Salesman in Squid Game) stars as a divorced, detached father who takes his daughter on a train ride from Seoul to Busan. On the train are an ensemble of people ranging in age, survival skills and class hierarchy who play critical roles later.
When a sick passenger infects the conductor and turns him into a mindless killing zombie, all hell breaks loose. The zombies replicate quickly and without impunity. The rest of the passengers must find a way to survive, justify their own (sometimes flawed) reasons to survive while also trying to work out who they can trust. These elements turn the movie into a fast-paced thrill ride on wheels.
Disaster movies with a parent-child combination are not new (see A Quiet Place), but its emphasis on unlikeable characters, social commentary and sharp critique of Korean culture makes Train to Busan a standout. If anything, it brings a fresh perspective into an old genre.
Train To Busan is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Actresses
This is a delicious movie by director E J-yong, shot as a mockumentary where each actress is playing themselves as well as a fictional version of themselves. The premise is simple: six actresses, each an icon in their time, are invited to a Vogue photoshoot. This includes Youn Yuh-jung, the memorable grandmother in the movie Minari and Choi Ji-woo from the TV series Winter Sonata.
However, the studio space is not big enough to hold their egos and emotional baggage. They snipe at each other, poke fun at their waning celebrity status or jostle for better clothes and treatment. Occasionally, they also find solidary with each other. The shaky camera and hushed dialogue among the handlers make it seem like we are eavesdropping on a set. It is disorienting at the start but mellows in the second act.
The movie will appeal to people who are familiar with the South Korean movie industry as there are many inside jokes and riffs on preconceived ideas of the actresses. But even if you do not have that context, it is an interesting take on how to blend ‘real’ and ‘fictional’ lives.
The Actresses is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Villainess
The opening scene for the movie is breathtaking, gory, bloody and almost like a first person’s view in a video game. But the highly choreographed fight scene between a woman (Kim Ok-bin) and a few dozen henchmen also raises more questions. Who is she? Why is she on a killing rampage?
The movie is told in flashbacks and it’s up to the viewer to piece it all together. What we do know is that Kim is a highly trained assassin for an agency who rescued her from some serious troubles. But Kim has a daughter and wants out. She buys her freedom in increments, treating each assignment as a key that unlocks more autonomy. She even falls in love with the nice young man next door, who unbeknownst to her, also works for the agency and has been sent to babysit her.
Kim is a standout. She oscillates between killing machine, friend, mother and lover with ease albeit with some melodrama in the second half.
The Villainess is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Kim Ji-young, Born 1982
This movie is an adaption of a best-selling novel by the same name and ignited debates about sexism and the #metoo movement in South Korea. Which means, the movie had supporters and detractors even before it was released.
It is about the eponymous character, Kim Ji-Young (Jung Yu-mi) who represents the average woman in the country. The movie is set in the present day with her husband and child, with flashbacks to Kim’s childhood and adulthood. For most of the movie, Kim is unhappy even if she does not realise it. She contemplates going back to her full-time job and the interactions she has with her family and friends provide further insights into the outright sexism and internalised misogyny she faces.
Compared to other movies about sexism and the #metoo movement (e.g. Bombshell), there is no scandal, drama or assault at the heart of it. Instead, it is a slow-paced movie, and we see how Kim’s mundane and ordinary activities are draining because of society’s microaggression. In one scene, she is at a café with her child and a group of people called her a ‘mum-roach’ or ‘mum-worm’, a derogatory word for stay-at-home mums.
Incidences like these are why Kim eventually breaks down. It is heartbreaking to watch and a testament to Jung’s performance.
Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Mother
This is one of director Bong Joon-ho’s early works and like Parasite, it is genre-bending, witty and subversive. It’s also a movie that you can discuss and dissect continuously because each viewer will have their own take on how it should end.
It starts with a standard premise: a woman is dead and a man who is mentally handicapped is accused of her murder because of circumstantial evidence. It should be an open-and-shut case for the police but the man’s mother (Kim Hye-ja) is fiercely protective and has been rescuing her son from dangerous situations since he was young. She is not about to let her son go to jail without putting up a fight. She becomes an investigator, detective and advocate and we understand why she is the main character in this movie.
The intrigue in Mother lies in the inability to really classify it. It could be a crime drama or a family drama, but there are no heroes or villains. Instead, it is an unflinching story about how people who are disenfranchised navigate a system that is stacked against them. It challenges the viewer to judge them.
And that is what makes it engrossing.
Mother is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
SBS On Demand’s includes a gripping collection of Korean movies, dramas and documentaries, along with SBS favourites that are available with Korean subtitles.
